Leonard woods



May 26, 1931.-

L. WOODS SELF SUPPORTING'HOSE Filed June 6. 1929 Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES LEONARD WOODS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI SELF-SUPPORTING HOSE Application filed June 0, 1829. Serial No. 368,808.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in self-su porting hose, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described'and claimed.

a} The main objects of my invention are to provide a hose, stocking or other close-fitting covering for the foot and leg, usually knit or woven, that will maintain its adjusted position on the le without garter, Suspender 10. or other indepen ent means outside of itself;

secondly, to provide a self-contained stiffening strip adapted to be removed when such a covering is washed; and thirdly, to provide means to hold said stifiening means detachably in located position relative to said leg covering. 7

In the accompanyin drawing in which like reference numerals in mate the parts referred to in this specification,

The figure represents a hose with my improvements applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral' l, designates a hose of the short style for example which is usually more diflicult to maintain in adjusted position on the leg of the wearer.

In the leg ofsaid hose are provided one or more longitudinally disposed passages 2 extending from the portion of the sides near the ankle joint of the wearer, upward to the top of the leg portion of sa1d hose. These passa es are formed by an inner wall 3 thus oublmg the knit or woven fabric'for a convenient width such as to correspond with that of stiffening stri s 4. These are made of pyralin ivory, wha ebone, metal, or other suitable materlal having some flexibility to conform to the wearers leg, yet stifi enough when enclosed in said passages adja-.

cent the leg of the wearer, to hold up the top 5 of the hose by reacting pressure on the bottom of said strips against the lower end 6 of said passages (or elsewhere) as indicated in the figure.

at orslightly above the ankle joint, so that foot movement centering at the ankle joint, will not appreciably afiect the said strips.

In the figure, my stiffening strips-are of such material and shape as allow of perma- .The lower end of each strip is preferably nent location in corresponding passages. If 1 desired however, these V-sha ed strips may be detachably mounted as a ove described. Thus a cross slit 10 in the inner wall near the bottom of the passage as indicated, will allow insertion of the strips into the passages without the slit appearing on the outside of the hose, and the reactionary pressure will be exerted upward diagonally to the top from the point of the V on each side.

I claim:

1. The combination with a hose leg having double wall side portions of the fabric forming V-shaped connect-edpassages diverging from the ankle to the top and having a transverse slit in the inner wall near one end, of a plurality of stiffening strips insertable through said transverse slit into both said passages and hidden by stretching'the hose fabric over the projectlng end of each strip so that said strips will bear on both ends of the passages and be detachably secured therein, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a hose leg having double wall side portions forming V-shaped connected passages diverging from the ankle to the top and having a transverse slit at the junction near the ankle, of double strips forming correspondin V-shaped stifi'ening means longitudinally isposed in said passages and-msertable throughsaid slit, substantially as described. 7

In testimony whereof I- have aifixed my signature.

' LEONARD WOODS, 

